Becky Beissel

It’s a question that’s been sitting heavily with me lately. One I find myself asking more often as I watch trends unfold in our community and beyond: Is our society broken?

I don’t ask this to be dramatic. I ask it because I see things shifting. Volunteerism, once the heartbeat of small towns like ours, is on life support. Fewer people are raising their hands to help. Commitments are made, then canceled. Promises are broken without much explanation. The spirit of “showing up” seems to be fading.

And yet, the people who still do show up, time and time again, are often our seniors. They’ve been volunteering, serving, and leading for decades. Their dedication is inspiring. But it also raises a hard question: What happens when they can’t do it anymore? Who will step up when they step down?

We also see it in the rise of entitlement, expectations without effort, criticism without contribution. There’s a growing mindset of “what’s in it for me?” instead of “how can I help?”

Add to that a cultural shift in how we treat one another. We’ve grown quick to assume the worst, slow to offer grace, and all too comfortable justifying poor treatment of others. Disagreement now feels like division, and it seems we’ve forgotten how to approach one another with empathy, curiosity, or kindness. That, too, makes me wonder: what are we becoming?

At the same time, loneliness and disconnection are on the rise. In an era when we’re more “connected” than ever through technology, we’re ironically drifting further apart. Social media may offer updates, but it doesn’t replace genuine connection. Real community is built through shared effort, real conversations, and showing up for each other—not just in the easy moments, but in the hard ones too.

None of this is to place blame. It’s to spark reflection. What kind of community do we want to be? And what are we willing to do to build it?

There are still so many good people doing good things. But they’re getting tired. If we want strong schools, vibrant events, safe neighborhoods, and a thriving downtown, we can’t just hope it’ll happen. We have to help it happen. It’s going to take each of us making a conscious effort. To give a little more, show up a little more, and expect a little less in return.

The fix isn’t flashy. It’s showing up. Pitching in. Giving grace. Rebuilding trust. It’s small steps, taken together, that will bring us back to the kind of connected, resilient community we all want to be part of.